The League of Legends support role is not everyone’s favorite, but no one can deny its importance. Supports have a crucial role in all parts of the game and often enable their team to perform. Learning how to play this role will take time, but we at Blix.gg are about to share our in-depth League of Legends support guide that will include everything you need to know.
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League of Legends Support Champions
If you play support in League of Legends, the first step is to pick the right champion. Like all MOBAs, LoL has different metas, which means that the best League of Legends support champions will differ depending on the patch.
Although you should always try to stay up to date with the latest meta in terms of champions, there are a few things you need to know. The first one is that (some) support heroes are divided into two big groups:
- Enchanters
- Tanks
Assuming you want to play with tanks, these champions will not provide a lot of CC for the team. Yes, they will be a bit harder to bring down, but do not expect any solid stuns or other kinds of disables.
Those of you who want to be LoL support players and choose Enchanters will provide tons of value. In most cases, the Enchanters are champions that have shields, heals, and other abilities that allow them to save their teammates. Furthermore, some of them even come with a variety of peeling mechanisms that can be very useful.
Summoner Spell
In terms of the summoner spell you can get as a LoL support, you usually go for Ignite, Exhaust, or Heal. The latter can work in situations where your teammate is really aggressive and you need to help him or when you know that the laning stage will be hard. With that said, most players will choose Ignite because it allows them to do more damage.
Exhaust is an option that helps you peel for your allies. This can be a solid pick when you are against an aggressive lane that will try to bring down your carry.
The Laning Stage
Regardless of the League of Legends support meta, there is no arguing that these champions shine during the laning stage. This is the time when they make the most difference, so you need to know how to take full advantage of it.
Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is harassment. People often forget about it, but it is among the aspects that can have a huge impact on your overall success. Harassing your opponent is a great way to prevent that person from farming (up to a point, of course) and force him to play more defensively.
Once you read this League of Legends support guide and decide to focus on harassing, you can do it with your auto attacks and spells. Every ability is different, so you must know how it works to use it properly. When using your abilities to harass, you should be careful of their AoE effect because you may end up pushing the wave even if you do not want it.
Speaking of the wave management, this is something that you have to discuss with your ally. There are cases where the League of Legends support role has to focus on pushing as much as possible because the lane’s goal is to pressure your opponent. Some players do that from level 1 and try to get to level 2 ASAP. Once that happens, they can use their advantage and extra ability to dive and potentially land a kill.
With that said, you will usually have to focus on freezing the lane. We can talk about a lot here, but there is a separate League of Legends laning guide that we recommend checking before you start playing.
Warding
Aside from getting different League of Legends support items, another key factor you should focus on is warding. We have a separate LoL warding guide that will answer all of your questions, so don’t forget to check it out.
Learning how to place your wards to take full advantage of them is one of the things that can make a big difference. Many people new to the support role in League of Legends often struggle with it. Once they get better, however, they will notice a massive improvement in their performance and results.
Roaming
You will find some information about roaming if you read a proper League of Legends support guide. Most support players who don’t have enough experience will only focus on their lane and helping the AD carry. Although there will be cases where the hero will need help, this isn’t always the case.
If your ally does not need you on the lane, there is no need to stay there. Instead, you can try to roam around the map (sometimes with your jungler) and try to secure kills.
One of the first steps if you wish to be successful while roaming is to have good vision. Placing offensive wards can make a big difference when trying to land important kills. It can also reveal when your opponents will attempt to kill someone on your team.
Once you master the art of roaming, your impact will increase drastically. Killing an important enemy hero several times can make a big difference and can often be enough to secure an easy win.
Closing Thoughts
As you have seen from everything mentioned in this LoL support guide, being good at this role is easier said than done. Aside from knowing when to roam, how to ward, which champions to pick, and so on, you also need to understand how to position yourself.
Supports are often the first champions that go down because they are very squishy. That is why having an optional position is of utmost importance. Some people will even Flash away after using their abilities just because they know they will die if they stay.
Focusing on helping your carry have a good game is as important as everything else mentioned. Doing damage to the minions and allowing the carry to get the last hit is just one of the many small things that differentiate support players.
